June 22nd, 2013 - A Pilsner In The Myth

Good evening!  How 'bout a little love from Deutschland tonight?  I'm pairing "A Twist In The Myth" by legendary band Blind Guardian with a Warsteiner Premium Verum from Warsteiner Brauerei!

"A Twist In The Myth" is the 8th studio album by Blind Guardian, the power metal boys from Krefeld, Germany.  It was originally released in September of 2006.  Musically, vocalist Hansi Kürsch, guitarists André Olbrich and Marcus Siepen, and drummer/percussionist, flautist, and bagpiper Frederik Ehmke are on the top of their game with refreshing originality, intensity, complexity, precision, and brilliance! They combine elements of straightforward classic metal, power/symphonic metal, and fold metal and do so wonderfully!  Lyrically, "A Twist In The Myth" examines various novels, myths, and stories that have influenced and intrigued the band:

• "This Will Never End" is inspired by Walter Moer's novel A Wild Ride Through the Night
• "Otherland" is based on the Tad Williams' Otherland series
• "Turn the Page" is inspired by an old Wiccan ritual of renewal and change
• "Fly" was inspired by the film Finding Neverland, which is obviously based on the characters of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan
• "Carry the Blessed Home" is based on Stephen King's Dark Tower series
• "Another Stranger Me" is loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde
• "Straight through the Mirror" examines the ever-changing power of dreams
• "Lionheart" is about Ulysses' travels in Hades and is pulled from various sources such as Homer, Dante, and French painter Gustave Dore
• "Skalds and Shadows" is based on an Old Norse folktale, the Saga of Volsungs
• "The Edge" is inspired by the story of St. Paul
• "The New Order" examines the necessity for change and the impact
• "All the King's Horses" is inspired by a Welsh folk tale examining the Arthurian cycle
•  "Dead Sound of Misery" is a darker version of the 4th song on the album, "Fly" performed in a minor key with alternate lyrics and melodies

This is great stuff!! 

For such a brilliant album, I needed something that would compliment the clear imagery, the refreshingly original songwriting, and depth of "A Twist In The Myth"... thus, the Warsteiner Premium Verum!  The Warsteiner is a traditional German Pilsner with lots of flavor and more complexity than you might expect from a Pilsner.  The Warsteiner pours a light straw-gold hue with a bright white and frothy head that displays fairly good lacing.  The nose is very hop-forward, floral, slightly sweet, and grassy.  Highly carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp, sharp, and even a bit coarse on the palate.  Much like the nose, the flavor is characterized by light Pilsner malts and Noble hops.  The finish is crisp and clean and very refreshing!

Learn more about Warsteiner at http://warsteiner.de/ and learn more about Blind Guardian at http://www.blind-guardian.com/!

Prost!!